UPDATE: Three in custody in wake of Newburgh shooting, high-speed car chase over bridge

Sunday

Mar 23, 2014 at 10:00 AMMar 23, 2014 at 5:20 PM

One suspect still at large, police say

JAMES NANI

NEWBURGH -- Newburgh town police officers chased down a group of men fleeing the scene of a city shootout Saturday, eventually recovering a semi-automatic gun, at least $75,000 in cash and taking three men into custody, Newburgh police say.

On Saturday evening at about 6:30 p.m., state police say they were called in to help Newburgh city and town police after a shooting.

After the shooting, the suspects took off from the scene, state police say. Newburgh town police Officer Taso Karbellas was near the city and town line on Route 9W and spotted a vehicle with shattered glass and two bullet holes in the back window soon after and followed it, town police say.

A call then came in telling police to be on the lookout for a vehicle after a shooting that occurred near a parking lot on Leroy Place, police say.

When Karbellas put on his lights and sirens to pull over the vehicle while getting on the eastbound ramp of Interstate 84, the vehicle sped off, police say. That led to a high-speed chase across the Newburgh-Beacon bridge at more than 80 miles per hour where the vehicle sped through the toll plaza and eventually into East Fishkill, police say.

The vehicle was eventually stopped on West Hook Road near Pine Lane, where four men hopped out of the car. Karbellas was able to grab the driver Jonathan Dawkins, 24,of Spring Valley, police say.

Newburgh town police Officer Evan Patterson, who also followed in the chase, was able to chase down two other men through some yards and found them hiding in a barn, police say. Found was Kenneth Nash, 24, of Spring Valley and Hassan Nichols, 23, of Palisades Park in New Jersey, police say.

A .45 caliber pistol that was thrown out of the vehicle was recovered as well as the cash, police say.

Dawkins, Nash and Nichols are all facing felony charges of possession of a stolen weapon and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth. Dawkins is also facing a charge of unlawfully fleeing a police officer, a misdemeanor, and several vehicle and traffic violations. All three were waiting arraignment as of Sunday.

City police are investigating the shooting but no one available to comment.

Police are still searching for the last suspect. The contingent of law enforcement includes state police, Westchester County police, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and East Fishkill police.

Police are asking anyone seeing anything suspicious in the East Fishkill area to call Dutchess County 911 or state police at 677-7300.